The Gymnastics McLaughlin Group #3

This weeks question: Sacramone notwithstanding, which 2008 U.S. Olympian has the best shot at making the 2012 women’s team?

Okay, we have Sam Peszek, Chellsie Memmel, Shawn Johnson, Nastia Liukin and Bridget Sloan. Well, “STOI!” wrote about Chellsie’s return to training and her strength on the weakest apparatus of the US team, the UB, which makes her very attractive — if she really gets her routine back and maybe even improves it. But then, we all know her history of injuries…

Nastia Liukin seems to be a bit indecisive about a comeback and you can’t blame her – this girl has achieved everything (in gymnastics) she ever dreamed of. Bridget Sloan just doesn’t have the class and difficulty to be on the US team again, if younger and better gymnasts (Wieber, Bross among others) fight for the spots. (Sorry, that’s my opinion, maybe she proves me wrong.) And I don’t think Sam Peszek will really try a comeback as an elite gymnast.

BUT, since a couple of months ago, it has been relatively quiet for Shawn Johnson. Which might mean, she is training really hard for her comeback. And if so, she won’t come back in order to place in the lower ranks. Shawn wants gold, Olympic (AA) gold — the only thing she didn’t get. And if she’s back on the top again, it will be easy for her to join the team: She’s an excellent competitor (physical and especially mental), she had almost no injuries and she’s capable of really big gymnastics. (GymNiceTic)

Read the whole discussion at Gymnastics Examiner!

Zonderland & van Gerner awarded

Epke Zonderland and Celine van Gerner were named gymnasts of the year 2010. Tess Moonen received the prize for the most talented gymnast of the year. The ‘team of the year’ is the artistics gymnastics women’s team.

On the occasion of the New Years’ reception, the Royal Dutch Gymnastics Federation KNGU has awarded its prizes for the year 2010. A group of journalists has proceeded to the nominations. The elections were made by a jury of experts, international judges, former athletes and two professionals of the Dutch press, one of them a TV commentator... (UEG)

Team NED

Moscow Championships

The 2011 Moscow Championships were held on Januray 25th in the Dynamo gym. The girls at Round Lake competed at their own gym and added their scores to the competition in the end.

These are the all-around results according to Anastasia Sidorova’s website:

1. Maria Chibiskova
2. Anna Myzdrikova
3. Elena Syrnikova

Myzdrikova, Chibiskova, Syrinkova

 

Anna Myzdrikova

Diana Sapronova, Anna Dementyeva, Maria Stepanova, Anastasia Sidorova, Anna Rodionova, Kristina Sidorova?

 

see more pictures from the Moscow Championships on sportgymrus and anastasiasidorova

Watch out for the Russian Championships in Penza on February 21st-27th!

Shawn Johnson Website

Shawn Johnson has a new website with new photo galleries (New Year’s Eve in NYC), videos, a blog…

Getting back into the long hours of training has definitely been difficult and made me question my ability and strength, but it’s been 6 months now and seeing the incredible progress I’ve made still makes me believe that somewhere inside of me I still have “IT”. I’m working more hours in the gym now than ever before, pushing myself back into the gymnast I once was, and let me tell you it’s not easy. Overcoming the knee injury has definitely been a setback and has limited the intensity of training at times, but it’s coming along. I’m constantly battling body aches, mental fatigue, doubt and frustration, but it always seems like every time I hit that wall… I have a great day or practice and everything is back to normal. BTW, I actually just landed my first double layout on the hard surface today and that is a HUGE step for me J.  I’m slowly working my way through skills and routines, piecing together what I, hopefully, will be competing in the next two years as I set my sights on 2012.

Another big step I just took in my comeback was returning to the Karolyi camp in Texas. WOW, was I a nervous wreck going into that one! It had been more than two years since I’d been there and I felt like a complete outsider. I wasn’t sure what to expect…if I was going to be up to par, where I would stand, or if I’d still be accepted and fit in!!  Hahaha, I guess I’m just a little worry wart because it was actually an amazing experience. It was great seeing all of the National Team coaches again and of course all of the girls…but the moment that meant the most and will be something I never forget was how excited Martha was to see me there at camp and how comforting, supportive and genuinely happy she was for me. Some of the things she personally said to me (sorry guys, I have to keep it a secret) are things I will never ever forget and meant more to me then she will ever know. I was still her little “pumpkin” and I left feeling as if nothing had changed. (December 8th)

Sounds good!

 

Anja Brinker injured

No, no, no, no, no!

This year doesn’t start in a good way for Germany. First Hambüchen, now Brinker. Anja Brinker ruptured her right Achilles tendon on Sunday 23rd January during a floor routine at a gymnastics show in Berlin – just in the same arena where the European Championships will be held.

German Championships 2010

via Gymnastics Coaching and The All Around

The Gymnastics McLaughlin Group #2

Here’s the second round discussing the following question:

If you were hired as a consultant for men’s NCAA gymnastics programs, what would you tell them to do to improve exposure and meet attendance?

My own unrefind opinion:

Oh, I’ve a great idea: Get topless! This will for sure attract a lot of new fans

Read better answer at Gymnastics Examiner!

The Gymnastics McLaughlin Group #1

Sorry, I’m a bit late – internet problems, a nightmare for every blogger – but if you haven’t read it yet, check out the whole discussion on Gymnastics Examiner!

Gymnastics bloggers from around the world have contributed their thoughts and insights to a series of questions about the sport and its personalities that will be posted during the upcoming days.

Here’s what they had to say on what is likely to be one of the most hotly debated topics of the year…

Viktoria Komova vs. Aliya Mustafina — who’s the better all-around gymnast?

Here’s my undecided opinion:

If you watch Mustafina’s AA at the Worlds and Komova’s AA at the YOG, the answer is clear: There’s no answer. They both have a 2.5 Yurchenko, super difficult routines on the other three apparatus — and they will both reach every event final if they do not surprisingly make a mistake.

Worlds 07 Photos

Bernhard Schwall added some excellent podium training and qualification photos from the World Championships 2007 in Stuttgart on his website (gymfan.de). If you want to take a look at the good old days…

Shayla Worley

When did they all grow up??

Marissa King

Covergirl Marta Pihan-Kulesza

23 year old gymnast from Poland, Marta Pihan-Kulesza, will be this years covergirl for the first FIG Challenger-Cup (former B-World-Cup) in Cottbus. She placed 20th in Rotterdam and won beam in 2009 at the so-called Tournament of Masters in Cottbus.

Marta Pihan-Kulesza (POL)

It’s great to have her still around – another example of an “older” but still successful gymnast!

Philipp Boy already confirmed to participate in the Challenger-Cup though he’s also invited to the A-World Cup series – he’s from Cottbus, so he has to compete in front of the home crowd! Oksana Chusovitina plans to compete in Cottbus, too.

Chusovitina News

Oksana Chusovitina who turns 36 this year already prepares for the upcoming season and her first competition.

Oksana and her son Alisher

Chusovitina trains for the “Svetlana-Boginskaya-Cup” in the USA as well as her 14th participation at the Tournament of Masters in Cottbus (FIG-Challenger-Cup). I guess with “Svetlana-Boginskaya-Cup” she means the Houston National Invitational on March 4th-6th, where she participated last year, too (only on VT). At the moment, there aren’t many informations online (HNI). Or do you have a better idea what the Svetlana-Boginskaya-Cup might be? Bogi and Chuso both were on the 1992 gold-medal-winning team at the Olympics in Barcelona and you can see her applauding Chusovitina after her vaults in the video above.

Chusovitina has been quite successful as the head coach of the Uzbekistan women team. After the team qualified for Tokyo and earned the bronze medal at the Asian Games the Uzbekistan Sports Federation named her “coach of the year”. The girls train regularly in a national training center in Germany (Cologne/Bergisch-Gladbach).

The only apparatus she doesn't plan to train on: the uneven bars.

About her future plans as an active gymnast: “Vault is an will be my best apparatus, but I’ll now return to full training and also turn to floor and beam and offer myself, because I know how important it’ll be for the team for the upcoming World Championships in the fall. If you need me, I’m available!”

complete article on gymmedia (German)